1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the dissolving of a gas in a liquid. More particularly, it relates to the reduction of the energy requirements associated with such dissolution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pipe line contactors are well known as means for dissolving gases in and/or reacting gases with liquids. Such contactors are often employed to increase the dissolved oxygen content of water or process liquids. Organic material in plant waste streams, e.g., paper mills and chemical plants, often leads to a need for such an increase in dissolved oxygen content before the discharge of such waste streams in a body of water. A similar need may also occur at municipal waste treatment plants. Fish farms often require increased dissolved oxygen levels to satisfy the needs of high density aquaculture. Pipe line contractors have been used for such gas dissolution operations, in desirable side-stream systems, wherein a fractional volume of a liquid stream is removed as a side-stream, pressurized, highly gasified and then mixed back into the primary stream of liquid.
Typically in side-stream pumping systems, such gas dissolution processes are operated at high pressures to increase the rate of dissolution of the gas in the liquid. In addition, such high pressure operation increases the dissolved gas content levels achievable in such processes. High energy pumps are normally used to generate the high pressures at which it is desirable to carry out the gas dissolution processes.
There is, of course, a general desire in the art to improve the efficiency of industrial processing operations. With respect to the subject gas dissolution processes, it would be desirable to reduce the energy requirements thereof. Such an energy reduction, in turn, would serve to facilitate the carrying out of useful gas dissolution operations that might otherwise be detered by the relatively high energy costs typically associated therewith.
It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide an improved process for the dissolution of gases in, and/or the reacting of gases with, liquids.
It is another object of the invention to provide a process capable of reducing the energy requirements associated with the dissolution of gases in liquids.
With these and other objects in mind, the invention is hereinafter described in detail, the novel features thereof being particularly pointed out in the appended claims.